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Santa Norm Gerring of Lincoln Park, makes a face at a younger Friday, Aug. 16, at a barbeque in North Muskegon.The Michigan Association of Professional Santas was in Muskegon for a gathering organized by local member Randy Schneider.Stephen Kloosterman | MLive

MUSKEGON, MI – Which one of us is the real Santa Claus, a group of professional Santas (or helpers) asked a 7-year-old girl.

But the 7-year-old knew who it was: The Santa with the longest beard, of course. And -- she added for good measure -- she knew a lot better than her little sister, who was only 4.

Muskegon-based Santa helper Randy Schneider told that story Friday night at a barbeque, hours after the group had run into the self-confident 7-year-old. The story earned laughs from Santas and non-Santas alike.

But the anecdote brings up an interesting question: What makes a real, professional Santa Claus? What distinguishes him from an amateur?

Pros tell you right away, it’s got nothing to do with the beard.

Santa Norm Gerring of Lincoln Park, even knows a guy who uses a fake beard.

“It’s glued on with, and there’s strings tied at the top,” he said, so kids can tug on the end without exposing him as an imposter.

The beard doesn’t diminish his friend’s standing in professional community of Santa helpers, either.

“He is actually in the Santa hall of fame,” Gerring said. “He’s never had a working job that wasn’t being Santa.”

No, a professional Santa is “someone who has done Santa,” Gerring said, stressing the word “done.” It’s not just a dad who throws on a red suit to impress the kids.

“What makes a Santa a Santa – it’s right here,” said Santa Ted Flynn, making a fist next to his chest. “It’s the heart.”

It certainly doesn’t have much to do with making money, even though some earn money working in shopping malls – Flynn estimates 60-70 percent of Santa helpers actually lose money by the time they’ve purchased costumes. A big part of the job is charity, he said.

Even at the barbeque Friday night, there was some charity going on. Coopersville’s Dave and Lori Hastings of the non-profit group Lori’s Voice were the Santas’ guests of honor, spreading information about their work to help kids with muscular dystrophy.

Professional groups like Michigan Association of Professional Santas help the Santas become better Santas.

Crowd management skills and even Santa helper mannerisms are taught at seminars, or “Santa schools,” Flynn said. A background check and recommendation from a current member is a pre-requisite to becoming a member of MAPS.

“We have to be careful,” Flynn said.

There’s a list of dos and don’ts for the modern Santa helper filling in for the Big Guy, made complicated by the fact that children have been known to ask for very serious requests -- such as for their parents to be cured of cancer or for the bank not to foreclose on their parents’ home.

There’s no set path to becoming a professional Santa. Flynn was recruited.

“My beard turned white 15 years ago, so people started asking,” the 57-year-old said. “It kind of took on a life of its own.”

Flynn, a full-time teacher and Stanton native, has since appeared in the Christmas edition of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and a Christmas-themed movie shot in Grand Rapids.